Chapter 448:
"Alright, Auntie. I'll come check on you every day from now on. For now, it's best if you stay in the hospital."
Kaede said this because he needed to monitor the "Purge Disease" effects of the Pecha Berry Wine.
"Don't leave yet, Kaede. Mallow will be here in a moment. You've flown all the way from the Eastova region; you probably don't have local currency, just like last time, right? It'll be the same as last time. The room we tidied up for you hasn't been changed."
Seeing Kaede about to leave, the woman quickly tried to persuade him to stay.
Just then, there was a knock on the hospital room door.
Following two "knock, knock" sounds, Mallow walked in carrying a dinner box.
As she entered, the first thing she noticed was that something in the room was different from usual. Her face lit up with surprise. "Mr. Kaede, you arrived so quickly?"
"When I got your message, I didn't have much going on at home," Kaede explained, then turned back to the woman. "Alright then, I'll trouble you again."
Because what she said was true.
He still had no money...
And the Alola region was different from Eastova; there was no unified League system, making it difficult for him to figure out where to exchange currency on such short notice.
Finding a place would probably take who knows how long.
Furthermore, apart from security, public services in Alola could be said to be even more relaxed than in Eastova. At this hour, they'd probably already clocked out.
"Alright, alright, it's almost evening. The doctors will change shifts soon. You all should head out now."
"Mallow, you've worked hard today too. Mom is feeling much better after Kaede's treatment. You should take Mr. Kaede back to rest."
After delivering dinner, specialized night-shift doctors would be on duty, so family presence wasn't required.
Now that there was hope for a cure, the woman's mood had lifted significantly, and she began urging them to leave.
"Huh?"
But Mallow didn't know what had just happened. Hearing that Kaede had already treated her mother, she instinctively looked over. Seeing her mother's complexion was indeed much better than before, her initially happy expression turned to one of joyful surprise.
"Mom?"
She found it hard to believe. She had only been gone for such a short time, and Kaede had already treated her mother?
"Go on, go on. You shouldn't stay in the hospital any longer."
The woman shooed them out again.
Inside, she felt a wave of emotion.
These past few days, she had been worried. What the doctor told her and what he told her daughter were actually two different things.
To her, he said the success rate was only fifty-fifty. At her pleading, he told her daughter the success rate was very high.
She was afraid that if she really couldn't be cured and left this world, what would happen to her daughter? What would happen to the family restaurant?
But now, it seemed the chances of successful treatment had become very high.
All of this traced back to that day when Mallow had "taken in" a Trainer from the Eastova region.
How miraculous.
Watching Mallow's face, torn between wanting to say more but ultimately leaving the room with Lillie, Lana, and Kaede, the woman smiled softly.
....
"How is my mom doing?"
Not far from the room, Mallow couldn't hold back her question.
"She's fine. It's not a big problem. She'll get better," Kaede offered a reassuring smile.
In truth, he did sense something was off. During his earlier assessment, the vitality within Mallow's mother's body seemed to be in a state of gradual depletion.
He couldn't diagnose the illness, but he could definitely recognize signs related to health.
Perhaps the doctor had lied to both of them.
This situation was actually quite common.
For patients, maintaining a positive mindset was paramount.
But it wasn't a big issue.
"You didn't see it, Mallow. Just now, Mr. Kaede placed his fingers on Auntie's wrist, then gave her a bottle of medicinal wine, and Auntie immediately started looking better."
Lana was still amazed by the treatment process. Seeing Mallow ask, she eagerly began explaining what had just happened.
"Mr. Kaede's medical skills are truly impressive..."
Lillie chimed in from the side.
"Ahem..." Hearing this praise made Kaede feel a bit embarrassed.
In the Eastova region, people praised him for making delicious and effective Energy Cubes, or for his Pokémon's strength.
That was justifiable.
His cooking effects were indeed powerful.
But this medical skill...
He really didn't have any.
So receiving such praise felt awkward, especially since the ones praising him were basically kids. It felt even more awkward.
"Alright, alright, enough praise. I can't take it. And you two, no need to call me 'Mr.' I'm not that old."
Looking at these two members of the anime's main cast, Kaede couldn't help but say it.
"If not 'Mr.,' then what should we call you?" Lillie asked curiously.
"Mr. Kaede seems to be shy..." Lana murmured in a thoughtful tone.
But through this casual conversation, the distance between them did seem to shrink a bit.
"..."
Kaede also felt that the kids here had somewhat different personalities from kids in Eastova.
Ten-year-olds in Eastova were still in school, thinking about what games to play after getting home or bragging to classmates at school.
Or they'd be clamoring every day about starting their journey to become great Pokémon Trainers.
Like Megumi, before her journey, she was still quite childish.
In comparison, the kids here seemed much more mature in both personality and how they handled situations.
"How about this? I'm a few years older than you. You can call me 'big brother,'" Kaede said, slapping his forehead, then suddenly thought it might not be appropriate. "Or maybe just call me by my name. Just Kaede is fine."
"First you want us to call you 'big brother,' then you want us to use your name. That's weird..." Lana once again voiced what sounded like a complaint.
Kaede's mouth twitched. Looking at Lana, he grumbled internally,
*'Darn it! I really should stitch your mouth shut.'*
Lana's mouth was sharper than he'd imagined.
"Okay, okay. Big brother…Kaede?" Lillie adapted quite naturally.
Mallow still seemed a bit distracted. Even though she heard her mother was much better, until she saw the actual results, she couldn't help but worry.
But she still followed Lillie's lead and called out, "Big brother Kaede."
In this casual, chatting atmosphere, the four of them left the hospital.